


The Devil Within (Nickifer)

by SatanSpawnedNougat



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Archangel Lucifer (Supernatural), Despair, Don't expect too much and you won't be disappointed, Fluff, Happy Ending, Hurt Lucifer, Lucifer Redemption, M/M, Murder Husbands, Nephilim, Nick has a hammer, Nickifer, Redemption, Revenge, Rewriting season 14, Short Story, Some Plot, Spiritual, The Empty, author still has trouble with the tags, hammer - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:13:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21732784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SatanSpawnedNougat/pseuds/SatanSpawnedNougat
Summary: Archangels are simply beyond the mortal comprehension; fierce beings of light and glory and beauty itself. Having been the host of one, Nick knew just how true that statement was. But contrary to popular belief, Lucifer did not mistreat his vessel.Lucifer made him feel as if the universe was created for him alone, its secrets unraveled before his very eyes. The supposed 'fallen Archangel' made him feel alive and as if he mattered... and then He was gone. Taken away from him and going someplace Nick would never be able to follow.Stricken by grief about his angel's absence, Nick finds himself in the Winchester's headquarters with Sam and Castiel looking after him, both unaware of just what they've brought into their home.'You taught me the courage of stars before you left'
Relationships: Lucifer/Nick (Supernatural)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 65





	1. Vessel of the Universe

**Author's Note:**

> This entire story has already been written so expect daily updates :)
> 
> This was originally supposed to be just a one shot... but lets just say that I loved it too much and turned it into a short novella instead. You're welcome :')

Nick Vaught would never be able to forgive the Winchester's - and their friends - for what they have done. The crime they have committed. Never.

Perhaps Nick could forgive Jack, but Jack was different - it was not the Nephilim's fault that the Winchester's corrupted him.

They took _Him_ away. They hurt _Him_ , his beloved angel, and he would never forgive that.

Lucifer was never evil. Having hosted the Archangel within his own body, seeing and sensing Lucifer's memories and thoughts, just as the angel did with his own, Nick just _knew_. Lucifer was hurt, and abandoned, and lost - just like Nick himself was.

They found someone who _understood_ and _knew_ , something both had found impossible for the longest time. They found a home with each other.

Being Lucifer's vessel... had been like taking the entire universe with all its might and beauty within his own mortal body. Nick had felt like he had been chained to a thousand blazing comets and shot through space faster than light ever could, he had felt like he was running over stars - his feet burning but never hurting - and dancing with the gravitational pull of black holes, the experience had both been frightening and marvelous. It was out of the world, beyond explanation and understanding. And Nick had loved every millisecond of it. Lucifer made him feel _alive_.

He saw past Lucifer's scars and true form that most would call 'frightening' or 'horrendous', and he saw the true beauty of the Archangel. Even after having been trapped and isolated in the darkness of Hell for eons, Lucifer still shone the brightest out of all angels - and Nick had seen many angel true forms through Lucifer's eyes, so he knew.

Lucifer simply was beyond the understanding and limits of the human brain to comprehend. When Nick first saw Lucifer's true face, he was reminded of that moment he had been a small child - laying on the grass and gazing out at the stars above, marveling over their beauty and wondering what could be out there, what the limits would be and how it all began - and he saw the answer in Lucifer's eyes. He saw _everything_ gaze back at him through those cosmic eyes of the angel. He couldn't possibly understand it or even fully grasp his mind around it, but he still _saw_ it.

An Archangel - the brightest of them all - in all its seemingly endless glory and might had chosen him. His eyes shined more radiant than all the galaxies in the universe combined, and his mighty wings could make it all come crumbling down with a single flap - or lift it up. Nick completely understood why He had been God's favorite.

And then they hurt Him. _They_ hurt this beautiful being who made him feel as if the entire universe was created just to be seen by his eyes alone.

Once they had won, Lucifer was going to make the universe a better place. He was going to create a place without any suffering or fear, a place where they could be happy, and Lucifer would become the guiding light. But _they_ had to ruin it. _They_ refused to look past the Devil Label at the beautiful being Lucifer truly was. _They_ preferred suffering and pain and monsters above the truth and clarity Lucifer could bring. _They_ hurt Him. And for that, Nick hated them.

One moment it had been like he was soaring amongst the stars, seeing everything unfold around him. And then _pain_. Pain like he had never felt before. Pain that came from Lucifer and the kind that an Archangel should not be able to feel; Lucifer was frightened - but His fear was not directed towards himself.

He heard his beautiful angel scream and Nick screamed with him. And then he felt the Nephilim grace that Lucifer wrapped around him like a shield of light and fire, just so that His beloved vessel would life and not go down with the imploding stars.

Lucifer could have chosen to use the grace to save himself... but instead, He chose to save Nick. Lucifer saved a human's life, not because He was ordered to, but because He wanted to, out of His own free will. Because He loved His human and couldn't imagine a universe without him in it.

Desperately, Nick had tried to save Him. To wrap the grace and his own soul around all of Lucifer's being as well, so they could share its protection, but how could one completely cover-up and prevent such a cosmic being from dying? It had been like holding your arms out wide and trying to hug all the galaxies above at once, it was impossible and beyond what a mere human could do.

Nick couldn't save Lucifer and he felt His light fade away, feeling the Archangels terror course through his being one last time, and then He was gone. Lucifer was gone and where His light and radiance had previously been... was now nothing and Nick was back to feeling like he was stumbling in the dark, lost without the brilliant light which had guided him for so long.

And then he had awoken in that church, with a burning pain in his side and the light of his angel missing.

And it was the latter that hurt the most.


	2. Stumbling in the dark

_They were tumbling through the air; Dean - who was being powered up by a Michael from another world - and Lucifer, as Nick was watching on from deep within Lucifer's mind, seeing the fight play out through the eyes of his angel._

_He was aware of Lucifer's mighty wings keeping them up in the air, just as he could see Michael's wings on Dean's back - as well as the Archangel's grace surrounding the other mortal. The grace of this Michael was different from the one Lucifer was familiar with, Nick knew through Lucifer's memories, somehow it was more twisted and darker._

_Nick couldn't possibly imagine how horrendous it must be to be the vessel of this Michael. Part of him felt bad for Dean, but he knew he couldn't afford to feel that way towards the enemy._

_Especially not when said enemy was trying to kill them._

_So Nick stayed back and let Lucifer deal with it, knowing that if he tried to help in any way he would most likely get in the way or distract Lucifer. Which would end up with them getting killed._

_Watching with his heart in his throat, Nick nearly leaped in joy when Lucifer slammed Dean's blade away and pressed his hand against the head of the other and began to vaporize the angel's grace as Michael and Dean screamed._

_Nick noticed it before Lucifer did - who had his complete focus on Dean. He was aware of Sam jumping towards the fallen Archangel Blade and throwing it up towards his brother._

_No!_

_"LUCIFER, WATCH OUT!!" Nick screamed, aware of what Sam was planning on doing._

_Sensing his angel's shock, Lucifer clearly decided to trust Nick and His mighty wings flapped as He twisted His body around, trying to get out of reach. But Dean appeared to be faster and then there was pain. A burning pain as if the universe that was Lucifer's entire being simply exploded inside of Nick's mortal body, burning away the life from both of them._

_Together, they opened their mouth. And together, they screamed._

_It was in that moment - which felt like forever, when they were dying, that Lucifer acted and wrapped Nick's soul in Jack's grace. "Live," Lucifer had almost begged him, "you have to live, my Nick."_

_"Lucifer!" Nick cried, not understanding what the angel was saying. Lucifer has become his guiding light, his dearest friend, the lover who understood him, his anchor, his everything... how could he possibly live on without his most precious angel?_

_Completely shaking and acting more on instinct than everything else - Nick didn't even know that souls could shake - he reached out towards the dying angel and attempted to wrap him in the grace as well so that they could share its protection and live on together. It did not last long for the horrifying realization to settle in that he couldn't save his angel; he was simply unable to fully protect all of Lucifer. The human soul could only stretch out so far._

_Nick was going to lose his everything._

_"No, no, no," he rambled in disbelief, unable to accept the fact that he was going to lose Him. "You can't die, you hear me? You can't die. Don't leave me, please." Nick had choked on his own tears, helplessly stroking Lucifer with the Nephilim grace as if he meant to protect as much of Him as he could within his human limitations._

_Lucifer's grace wrapped around him one last time in a hug as His very being was falling apart as if it was more important for Him to calm down Nick compared to staying alive himself._

_For the first time, Nick noticed, Lucifer was burning hot instead of cold. Nick did not care. Instead, he held on to his angel, not wanting Him to go all alone._

_"You kept your promise," Nick said, feeling like he had to say something no matter how pathetic it might sound. "You kept your promise. You kept your promise," he kept on repeating himself, not fully comprehending what he was saying but not wanting to stop talking - even just because it seemed to somewhat calm Lucifer down._

_Slowly, Lucifer slipped away from him and Nick was aware of their bond thinning out until it just... snapped. The bond they've shared for years was gone. Just like that._

_Gone._

_Nick cried it out in the darkness of his mind, he cried for the light he had lost and the emptiness he now felt which was previously occupied by an Archangel in all His glory, an Archangel who completed him and made him love himself once again._

_Then he found himself lying on the floor of that church, surrounded by his angel's burned wing-marks, feeling more lost and helpless than he ever had before._

_Sam and Jack stood around his broken body, staring down at him with fearful eyes and Sam holding a blade to his throat._

~~

"Nick," a far-away voice called out, sounding vaguely distressed. Ignoring it, Nick kept on crying and tossing, feeling as if he was suffocating and drowning. "Nick!" The voice called again, more forcefully now. "NICK!!"

Hands took hold of him and shook him wildly. Nick's eyes snapped open, looking around in bewilderment. For a while, his blood ran cold when he didn't recognize his surroundings at first - as well as controlling his own body.

_Lucifer_! Was the single word racing through his mind. His heart sank when he realized that he was in the Bunker's dungeon and that his angel was nowhere in sight. It was too dark in the room for Lucifer to be anywhere close-by.

Then his gaze fell on Sam Winchester, who was the one who had called out to him. Noticing the man's worried look, Nick shook his head. "I-I'm fine. It was just a dream."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Sam asked gently, sitting down at the foot of Nick's bed.

Immediately, Nick shook his head. He was aware of the world's hatred towards his beloved angel, and he knew it was best to keep his feelings and deepest thoughts to himself. They won't understand. Nobody will.

Shooting back on the bed to put some distance between Sam and himself - if Sam noticed his action, he didn't show it - Nick pulled up his knees and hugged them against his chest, his shirt sticking to his skin and his body still shaking.

"Listen, Nick," Sam started to say. Nick mentally willed him to just shut up and leave him alone. "I know that you're having a hard time right now. Trust me, I know. Once, I was possessed by Lucifer as well. But he's gone now, you can live your life again." Sam nodded at his own words and Nick slightly curled in on himself, just wanting to crawl in a dark corner and cry for all of eternity.

_How can you be so happy about the murder of the brightest, most brilliant being that will ever exist_? Nick grumpily thought, mentally screaming the question at Sam but knowing that the Hunter would never be able to see the true source of his suffering.

Contrary to what Sam believed - or anyone, really - Nick was not destroyed nor traumatized about being possessed _by_ Lucifer, but the fact that he _lost_ his angel.

His angel got forcibly taken from him. He got murdered for having a mind of His own, for just wanting to be happy. The world hated Lucifer and everyone blamed 'The Devil' for every bad thing landing their way... but all Lucifer truly wanted was to be able to make His own decisions and to be loved by His family. And all He got in return was misery and despair and His own damnation.

It took every fiber in Nick's being to not jump Sam right then and there, to give in to his anger, and strangle him for refusing to see that. _He's supposed to be Lucifer's 'true vessel', he should_ _know and understand_!

"It's almost eight... so how about I get you some breakfast and then we take a look at that wound?" Sam offered, moving to place his hand on Nick's shoulder in what must have been a comforting manner. Nick flinched away, the scene repeating in his head of how Sam threw up the blade which ended up killing Lucifer. Sam looked slightly hurt but Nick didn't care.

"I'll just get you something then," the Hunter said, standing up again and moving towards the door, Nick watching him go warily. Sam stopped in the doorway. "It will get better, Nick. I promise. Just give it some time," he gently spoke, giving him a slight smile Nick did not return.

_Perhaps I will feel a bit better when you and your brother are dead_.

And then Sam has left him alone in the dark dungeon once again. Nick did not mind the darkness. The light hurt and reminded him too much of Lucifer. Originally, Sam had wanted to put him in one of the Bunker's many bedrooms, but Nick had flinched back from the room and thrown a fit. The room was too bright... too much like his angel. Jack got the idea to turn the dungeon in a room... and they put him there.

Jack never bothered to visit him. He had once seen the child standing in the doorway, looking at him with a frown, but when Nick had called out to him, Jack left and Nick hasn't seen him since. Castiel has dropped by four times now - to bring him food when Sam was on a hunt and for an occasional 'check-up' to check once again if Lucifer was truly dead. Nick wished that he would stop, Castiel's relieved smile when he didn't found a trace of Lucifer only hurt.

Perhaps Nick still held on to the hopeless thought that his angel was still alive somewhere.


	3. A new promise has been made

"It's looking good and healing up nicely," Sam commented, his hazel eyes focused on Nick's stab wound inflicted by an Archangel Blade. "I cannot see any infections or anything else that might be troublesome in the near future."

Nick awkwardly kept his white shirt on his lap, fumbling with the material as Sam inspected him. He kept his body perfectly still, biting his lips when Sam cleaned the wound and put new bandages on. "Will it form a scar?" He asked, peeking down at his wound.

"Most likely." Sam gave him an apologizing look.

Noticing his expression, Nick shrugged. "I don't mind a scar." _It's a reminder of Lucifer. It's the closest thing I have left of Him_. He curled up his fists and took a deep breath, evening out his expression once more. There's no way that anyone could know his true feelings... they would kill him for it.

"Hey, Sam," Nick asked, following the hunter's movements as he wrapped up the last of his bandages, "why am I alive and is He dead?" Nick already knew the answer, of course - the Nephilim grace - but he wanted to know what Sam thought of it.

"I'm not sure," was the answer he got after a thoughtful silence, "but it could be that the Archangel Blade is designed to kill the angel but keep the vessel intact." He guessed.

 _I'm sorry, Sam, but that's not true_ , Nick knew. Lucifer had told him about those blades before; how it would definitely kill them - both of them. _And if you're correct... won't that mean that Gabriel's vessel would still be alive in the Apocalypse world as well_? Nick knew that wasn't the case. He and Lucifer stayed behind in the Apocalypse world with Michael and Gabriel's corpse - thanks to Sam - and if Gabriel's vessel was still alive, he would have woken up in the time they were there. But he understood why Sam had said that about the blade and kept hope it could work... it was his brother who was possessed by Michael.

And there was the issue, that even if it worked, they simply did not have an Archangel who could and would wield it for them.

 _Unless they plan on unleashing the original Michael from The Cage, which would just be a bad idea_. Nick kept that thought to himself, not wanting to bring Sam on any stupid ideas.

Sam stood up when his work was done and took a step back. Nick put his shirt back on, moving carefully so he won't hurt himself. "Make sure that you eat something," Sam advised him, nodding towards a plate with some food as well as a glass of orange juice he had placed on a table. "You need to eat to sustain your body now."

"I know," he replied with a nod of his head. Sam looked at him for a while, appearing to be worried - then again, to Nick that seemed to be his usual expression - and then he had left again.

With a sigh, Nick stood up and dragged his feet toward his breakfast, staring down towards his plate in distaste. _Again with the cheese crackers_.

Not feeling like eating anything - mostly because it felt weird to do so now - Nick shook his head and started to turn around, planning on spending the rest of the day moping around in his bed, but then he froze as he remembered Lucifer's words.

 _Live_ , the angel had begged him in His last moments.

Glancing over his shoulder, he looked at the crackers. He was human, so he needed food to survive now, it was as simple as that. In a way, it had almost been Lucifer's dying wish, for Nick to live on, and was he really going to just ignore that?

Closing his eyes, allowing himself a second to mourn his lost light, he tried to ignore the ache in his heart. Looking at the crackers again, he muttered, voice cracking, "Fine. I'll do it for you." He refused to say Lucifer's name aloud, knowing he would break down if he did so.

Taking a few sips of the orange juice, he picked up one of the crackers and shuffled back towards his bed, grumpily munching on it as he went.

Sitting on top of the old blankets, he folded his legs underneath his body and stared at the wall as he finished his breakfast. Ever since the dungeon had been given to him to use as a room, he had barely left it - except for the quick bathroom breaks in which he avoided as many people as possible - which gave him a lot of time to think. As it always did, his thoughts ran off towards Lucifer and again Nick was reminded of the emptiness left behind when his angel was torn away. Bringing his shaking hands towards his face, feeling as if he did not do so he would attempt to claw out his own heart to lessen the pain, they came in contact with a liquid. Tears, he knew.

Ignoring his tear-stricken face, he fell down on his side and curled up in a ball, tightly holding on to his knees. "I'm sorry," the man cried out in the dark, knowing that nobody could hear him, "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you."

~~

It was Castiel who found him like that. Curled in on himself and with tears streaming down his face. The Seraphim had given him a quick, somewhat concerned, look before looking away again. Castiel never looked at Nick for very long.

"Are you okay?" The angel asked him.

Somehow, Nick forced himself to stop the tears. Chest still heaving, he almost scoffed at the question, not even sure if he even meant it. _Do I look okay to you_? "No," he bluntly said, not looking at the angel with the clipped wings behind him.

Castiel fell silent for a while, clearly not expecting Nick's somewhat harsh tone. Not like Nick actually cared. So he stayed curled up in his ball, trying his best to ignore the outside world. Footsteps sounded through the dungeon and he could feel the bed dip down, signaling that Castiel sat down. "I know that you're having a hard time," Nick clenched his hands into fists at the angel's words, "but you will be fine. Lucifer is gone now. He cannot hurt you anymore."

At that, Nick just broke. Uncurling himself, he jumped up from the bed, standing tall and glaring down at the angel. _How dare he act as if he understood_? "And how do _you_ know that?!" He snapped back.

Castiel looked at him in shock, blue eyes wide, and Nick was reminded of the fact that this was the first time he actually spoke to him. During the 'check-ups' the pet angel of the Winchester's has done, Nick always stayed quiet. Slowly, as if not wanting to startle him, Castiel stood up as well. Nick was still taller than he was. "Because Lucifer is _dead_. Trust me, where he is now, there's no going back from there. I've been there."

 _They how did_ you _come back_? His blood froze in his veins at that as his heart jumped in his chest at the familiarity the cold bought him. He wasn't exactly sure why it happened _now_ , it wasn't the first time he had been bought aware of his angel's dead, but Nick snapped. He was just so done with others acting as if they cared about him - while all they saw was The Devil when looking at his face - and telling him it would be okay when it would not ever be okay for Lucifer was _dead,_ but the thing that bothered him the most was perhaps the fact that others thought they 'understood' the source of his suffering when they did in fact not.

"You don't understand," Nick spoke coldly. He knew he should be worried about how cold and emotionless his voice sounded like any normal human being would, but he couldn't find it in himself to care. "You will _never_ understand what I went through." He added. Those were perhaps the truest words Nick had ever spoken to anyone since Lucifer left.

Human and angel stood there for a while, staring at each other in a silent staring contest until Castiel broke eye contact and cleared his throat. "I will just be on my way then," he said awkwardly, shuffling away and leaving the room.

Nick watched him go silently, unmoving with tense shoulders and burning eyes.

~~

The repeated sound of his own footsteps was all that Nick heard as he paced around his room, still fuming somewhat about his latest encounter with Castiel. He was aware that Sam and Castiel meant well, but they weren't exactly helping him, contrary to what they believed. "They took Him away," he grumbled under his breath, pacing around faster as his breathing started to pick up.

Nick couldn't comprehend. Why would anyone want to kill such a beautiful being as Lucifer? Why did nobody saw past the scars and 'Devil Label'? Yes, Lucifer had his flaws and plenty of daddy-issues, Nick couldn't possibly disagree with that, but he loved his angel for all that He was. At least Lucifer was real and did not fake anything like many humans did in their daily lives. He was _trying_. He actually did. Lucifer was _trying_ to be a good father for Jack and he was _trying_ to help the Winchester's with their Michael Problem - even though they never deserved His help in Nick's opinion - but Sam had to ruin everything by pushing Lucifer away that one day.

They took Him away... they took this beautiful being away and bought all that suffering upon Him!

Stopping his pacing, Nick's body froze and his gaze slowly shifted towards the door. There wasn't anyone there, but Nick imagined that Sam walked through that door for whatever reason, and then he killed Sam with laser eyes. He knew that was humanly impossible, but that did not stop him from dreaming.

A daring thought entered Nick's mind. ... _What if I could get revenge for what they've done_? He almost didn't dare to even _think_ of it, afraid somebody might be listening in on his thoughts. _What if I could avenge Lucifer's dead_?

Absently, Nick's hand moved to his side, gently placing it over the stab wound Dean had inflicted on him. Nick pressed down, biting his lips as a sharp pain shot through his body like a lightning bolt set loose. Shooting one final glance at the door, knowing that Sam and Castiel were someplace in The Bunker.

 _You will regret bringing me into the heart of your home, boys_.

After all, who would expect from the 'broken vessel' - who was supposed to be 'destroyed' by Lucifer - to take down an empire?


	4. Rewrite the stars

"You really don't remember _anything_?" Sam pressed, having refreshed his bandages after returning from yet another fruitless search for his brother, who was still being possessed by Dickhead Wing Flapper of Halo Land.

Nick shook his head. "I'm sorry, I don't. It's just bits and pieces that don't make much sense," he said, putting up his most convincing apologizing expression.

 _A lie_. He could almost hear Lucifer's voice in his head. His angel never liked lies. But Nick had no choice here but to lie, not wanting to give Sam any information. _They don't deserve to know anything_.

"What about Michael?" Sam just kept on trying, failing to notice that Nick would rather see him dead than give him any useful information. "Do you remember anything about him? About his plans?"

Glancing sideways at the hunter, he figured he could at least drop a hint... leave them wondering. "There's one thing coming back to me," he carefully spoke, seeing Sam perk up in the corner of his eyes as his own gaze returned to his feet. "Just something he had said."

"What is it?"

Nick looked up. "That he wanted to do it better this time." That was the truth. Michael has actually said that when Lucifer had pressed him about the matter. The lie was that that wasn't the only thing Nick remembered.

He remembered everything in great clarity - every second he had spend with the Archangel in control of his body. The only exceptions being what Nick did not want to see, from which Lucifer had shielded him.

"What does that mean?" Sam asked, puzzled, with his forehead wrinkled up.

"I don't know."

The other man nodded his head. "Alright, that's fine. It's something. That's a good thing," Sam spoke, giving him a small smile.

"I guess," Nick muttered, shifting his gaze to his tightly clenched hands that were shaking on his lap.

Sam noticed his shaking hands and gave him an apologizing look. Nick hated that look and wanted nothing more than to punch it off his face. or carve out his stupid eyes. "I'll leave you be then. Take care." Sam said, bringing him out of his wonderful thoughts of punching Sam's face to a bloody pulp.

"Yeah, okay," he said, looking up once he heard the door to his dungeon room close. Shaking his head clear from any wandering thoughts, he slowly stood up, taking a few wary steps towards the closed door. Should he try to leave his dark room? Nick wasn't sure.

He reached out a shaking hand, ready to reach out and open the doorknob before him, but before he could do so, he stopped, uncertainty rising within him.

It was no secret to him that most of the Bunker's inhabitants did not want him here at all. When they noticed him the moment Sam and Jack had bought him in – all three of them bleeding and hurt – they all thought it was Nick who was the one who had hurt them. When they looked at Nick, all they saw was the Devil staring back. It wasn't like Nick could blame them for that – he _had_ been Lucifer's vessel for ten years, so it would make sense that when hearing 'the Devil' people would picture him – but the difference is that he never saw the darkness and terror and pure evil in the fallen angel that they saw. Whenever Nick pictured Lucifer, he could think of nothing else but endless beauty and light, that no matter what, he would never be able to fully fathom.

Once, a few days ago when Sam was gone on a hunt, Nick had snuck a piece of paper and a pencil downstairs to his dungeon and he had attempted to write it down, to draw his angel's true face so he would never forget. But it never looked right. There always was something wrong and missing. And Nick was strongly convinced that it was _impossible_ to draw the galaxies swirling behind Lucifer's fiery eyes, or the radiance of His wings or even something simple like His silhouette! Even if he had been drawing for most of his life – he always had quite the artistic streak in him – he could never draw the one thing he wanted more than anything.

Clenching his jaw, he tasted the metallic pang of blood in his mouth. He must have bitten his tongue. Ignoring it, Nick decided he might as well be damned to Hell and he opened the door, poking out his blond head and looking both ways. Once confirmed that the coast was clear, and nobody was around, he carefully stepped out and closed the door behind him.

He noticed that he was barefooted, but he couldn't find it in himself to care. Honestly, he liked the cold that would creep up his body from his feet. It reminded him of his angel, even if just a little bit.

Silently padding through the empty hallway, he strained his ears to listen for any sounds. He did not feel like any surprises of running into people he could otherwise avoid. He could vaguely hear some voices coming from the Bunker's main room, which didn't come as much of a surprise seeing as most people spend most of their time there. It was the main room, after all.

Nick thought it was ridiculous. _Stupid mud-monkeys_ , he grumbled to himself under his breath, wondering why he even decided to leave the comfortable darkness of his dungeon behind.

He told himself that it was because he needed to memorize the Bunker's layouts and escape routes, for if he wanted to set his plan of destroying the Winchester's and all his other enemies in motion. He wasn't entirely sure yet _how_ he would pull it off, but he would find a way. They won't suspect him or see him coming. They would expect something like that from Lucifer... but not from his 'broken ex-vessel.' He wasn't sure that he could succeed where his angel failed... but he did manage to get one thing Lucifer never had.

Their trust... more or less.

Nick was inside their home, with the Winchester's basically turning their backs towards him, unsuspecting of their guest's hatred towards them. He would find a way.

Taking a deep breath, he carefully opened the heavy doors that separated him from the main room and he peeked into the brightly lit room, crowded with people going back and forth and talking over each other in loud voices. He noticed Sam sitting at a table behind a laptop, surrounded by a handful of people - including Jack - he attempted to explain something to. He couldn't spot the angel, Castiel, but figured he would be around somewhere.

He did not enter the room. Instead, he just stood there, unnoticed and watching from a distance. On moments like this, Nick was reminded of how different he was from the rest of humanity. How different he had become. He had been the vessel of an Archangel for ten years, and everything Lucifer had shown him, the secrets He had whispered for him alone to hear, gave Nick a certain amount of knowledge no other human possessed; but as a result, it had removed him. Isolated him from his own kind.

Hand clenching around the doorknob he was still holding, Nick watched with a sinking feeling. _Shouldn't have gone to the main room_ , he thought, panicking slightly. _Too bright... why are there windows_?! Taking a few steps back, he bumped into someone who seemingly just rounded the corner and was just as surprised as him. Spinning around in shock, Nick stood face to face with Castiel, who looked at him in surprise.

"Nick?" The angel started to say, surprise turning to slight worry once he noticed Nick's pale face and shaking. "Perhaps you should lay down," the angel offered, reaching out to him.

He was aware of some of the conversation going on behind him had stopped, and he could feel numerous sets of eyes drilling into his skull and making a shiver go down his spine. He stepped away from Castiel's outstretched hand. "I-I'm fine," he said, "I was planning on going back either way. Thanks." He rushed out, ignoring everything behind him and pushing past the Seraphim and hurrying back towards the comforts of his dungeon. He could vaguely hear Castiel call out to him, as well as Sam who said something to the angel, but he had zoned it all out.

Heart hammering against his ribcage, he ran through the corridors as if a pack of Hellhounds was chasing him, in a hurry to go to his room and be alone again. Once he reached the door, he opened it and threw himself inside, stumbling over his own feet and falling flat on his face with a small yelp.

A few tears escaped his now-closed eyelids and he curled up, rocking his knees to his chest. "Why did you have to leave? Come back, please," he cried out in a whisper, nothing but a mumbling barely leaving his lips. It didn't take long for the sound of footsteps to reach his ears. Nick curled himself up in a tight ball. He didn't feel like dealing with anyone.

Voices reached his ears, but he just stared ahead numbly, blinded by his own tears. Hands took a hold of his and hoisted him up and before he knew it, he was leaning against Sam's tall frame, Castiel holding his other side, and then they carefully started walking towards his bed. "It's alright, Nick. It's alright," the hunter repeated.

They placed him on top of his bed and soon a blanket was put over him. Nick looked up at them with haunted eyes. "Try to take some rest, alright? If you want, you can try getting out again later, when there are fewer people around." Sam offered, thinking that Nick's panic had to do with the number of people around when he finally decided to venture outside of the dungeon.

He wasn't completely wrong at that, but it wasn't the whole truth either. Numbly, Nick nodded his head and watched Sam and Castiel leave, catching bits of their hushed conversation that floated his way.

"Will he ever be alright?" Sam had asked.

"I don't know," Castiel replied, "I guess it all depends on him."

Nick shut them all out after that, not wanting to hear more, and he made sure to stay under his blanket until the door had closed behind them. Waiting for a few more minutes, he carefully pulled off the blanket and sat up, wiping away his tears with his sleeve.

Tilting up his head, he looked up at the bare ceiling above his head and it almost looked as if he was praying. But Nick knew that God would never answer him – or anyone, nor his angels, all except for one. And that angel was dead, forcibly ripped away from the world who would now never learn of His true radiance and beauty. Deep down, Nick knew that his angel was dead, he had felt their bond snap after all... but part of him still held hope. And it was that very part that acted during this miserable moment.

Still staring up towards the ceiling, as if he could watch the sky through the stones, and the Heavens he would never be able to reach, he carefully stepped out of bed as he sunk down to his knees on the ground. The closed-door behind him. His gaze shifted down towards the wall, his neck still stained upwards slightly. And then he started to speak, the words flowing out. "I'm not very good at this praying stuff and have never really done this before but... I figured I might as well try and give it a shot," he fell silent for a short while, desperately wishing that he would be heard but knowing that it would be impossible. It still didn't stop him. He needed to say it. To have a closure of some sort and to be able to avenge his angel's murder... and maybe, to one day, move on. _For Him_.

So he continued, for his beloved angel. "Everyone thinks that you are gone. They even hope that you are dead," he fell silent for a while, closing his eyes tightly and feeling a warm tear escape his closed eyelids and rolling down his cheeks. _So much for wiping away his tears_. "And I can't stand it," he continued, his jaw clenched slightly, "the thought of how nobody will ever understand, of how everyone refuses to see you as what you truly are... it fills me with such rage and fury." Nick was reminded of all the hatred and distrust Lucifer had received during most of His immortal life. Some of which Nick had witnessed first-hand. _He never deserved any of it. He just wanted to live like everyone else, to try to be better! But no one would let Him!_

Lifting his teary gaze towards the ceiling, he kept going in a low voice. "I'm not even sure if you are really gone... you're supposed to be forever... _you can't be dead_!" His voice rose slightly in volume, but Nick wasn't afraid of being heard. The walls were thick, and he knew that most people rarely left the Bunker's main room and their assigned bedrooms. "Please don't leave me alone here... I just want to be free of this darkness and rage within me that escalated when you left. _But it just won't leave_. I need you back. I need you, you hear me?!" His voice took on a somewhat lamenting tone as it cracked, a broken sob slipping past his lips.

"I'm bonded to you and to what you are," more tears fell from his eyes. He didn't even bother with trying to wipe them away. "I think it's how you first found me. Truth is," his voice trailed off again. He lifted his hand to his mouth, his shoulders shaking as sobs raked through his body. He only continued once he felt like he could. "I don't know who I am if I am not you. I am lost without your light to guide me, I _need_ you to be complete. To feel like I matter and can be someone. No consequences, no pain, no sorrow... I want that back. I want _us_ back," his heart ached. Nick missed Lucifer and wanted nothing more than to be able to embrace his angel, tell Him that He would be okay, that He wasn't alone anymore. A strange feeling arose from within as if his very being has been set ablaze by a fiery blizzard, begging to be unleashed. Nick ignored it.

"I don't wanna feel now what I did then. Where are you? Where are you? Save me, Lucifer... _please_ _help me."_ He broke down in tears, covering his face with his hands as he curled up in a fetus position. The scar on his stomach burned, but it was nothing compared to the ache in his heart; as if somebody forcefully ripped out his soul. "Help me. Please help me," he said again, his voice so broken it was almost unrecognizable to his own ears.

There is one thing that Nick knew for sure. He couldn't stay here, at the Bunker. He would never be able to stay around the people here and act like he _hated_ Him. So he had to leave... and go wherever it's darkest.


	5. Going Home

He had no idea how much time had passed - if any had passed at all. Wherever he was, the laws he had grown up with didn't matter now. Floating around in the nothingness of the gaping abyss, he had lost sight of everything.

His memories, the very being who he was, and even his own name... he had forgotten it all in the blissful peace the nihility bought him. No sorrow. No pain. No emotions. And no struggle. Just empty, for all of eternity. It lulled him, made him want to close his eyes for a very long time and never wake up ever again. But when he was just about to do so, a wave of energy seemed to move through the nothingness and then there was _something_.

A voice.

Within the comfortable void, he stirred. Vaguely, he wondered who it was – the voice seemed familiar, and in pain – but the bigger part of him just wanted the voice to shut up so he could sleep.

But the voice was persistent. And very slowly, like an eon dragging on, a single memory came back to him. The memory of a broken man who mended his own equally broken parts. The man who he, against all odds, had chosen as his own and who accepted him for who he was; both the good and the bad. The mortal man who he had been willing to die for.

And for who he did.

 _Nick_! The name came back to him with what felt like an explosion equal to the birth of the universe itself. With that name, memories resurfaced. Mostly small things; like a few of the conversations they had, and the thoughts and sensations they shared. _NICK_!! With each passing second, more and more memories returned, and the angel felt his heart ache. _How could I ever forget him_? He wondered.

Fighting against the nothingness – the smooth voice that was trying to lull him back into sleep – he started to twist around and scream with all the power he had left. Wings flaring out, he beat them around as he blazed up to his true form in all his ferocity. _Nick! Wait for me_! Nick was waiting for him and he was in pain. So he had to return to _his_ human, to help Nick in the way the man had saved him without knowing.

His eyes snapped open, a fiery red and set ablaze like a conflagration in a starless night. A frown formed on Lucifer face when he gazed ahead and simply saw nothing ahead. Rolling over on his stomach, the Archangel looked around in bafflement. In his long immortal life, he had seen a lot of weird places, but this place – wherever it was – probably topped it. There was simply _nothing_ here. Nothing at all.

No air. No sound. Just... an infinite nothingness stretching out in every direction. Looking down, his eyes drastically widened when he saw that even the 'ground' was nothing. He wasn't standing on anything, yet why he wasn't falling in the dark abyss below was beyond even his own understanding. Even staring at it and trying to determine its depts made his head spin. _Get it together, Lucifer_! He scolded himself, shaking his head and giving his cheek a slap to regain his focus. _I need to find a way out_.

Looking around, Lucifer narrowed his eyes as he used his celestial senses to try and determine where the exit might be. Even with his heightened senses, he saw nothing. A disbelieving scoff slipping past his lips, he spread his wings out fully and he flew.

Or tried to, at least. Lucifer hasn't moved from his spot. Frowning, he flapped his wings again, even going as far and jumping in the air as he tried to get a grip on _anything,_ so he could soar up. But angel wings seemed to be useless in this weird place. A few profanities slipping from his mouth as an exasperated _screech_ tore free from him. Seeing no other choice, he carefully folded up his wings again and started walking in a random direction. He had no idea where he was, but he would _never_ get out if he stayed in the same place, so Lucifer kept moving.

~~

"I know that you're here," the Devil sighed as he stopped walking, "so you might as well reveal yourself and stop being such a sneaky bastard."

He looked over his shoulder but saw nothing but empty stretch out as far as he could see. He had been walking for a while and had completely lost track of the passage of time. Lucifer did not know if a mere hour had passed, or centuries. It was like he was walking on a cosmic treadmill which went on for all of eternity. But somewhere along the way, he began to sense _something_. Something ancient... something bad.

He wasn't alone anymore.

Then the strangest thing happened. Black goo formed on the void before him, pulsing and bubbling, and Lucifer pulled a face in revulsion as he took a small step back, watching with a growing horror how the black goo rose up, forming a vaguely humanoid shape. Whatever it was, it was kneeling before the Archangel, and it lifted its blond head. Icy blue eyes stared back at the baffled angel who took another step back, his wings instinctively flaring out behind his back at the threat he knew the _thing_ was.

"Nick?" Lucifer spoke at first, voice shaking, but before the name had left his lips he already knew it wasn't his human.

He could memorize every part of the mortal man, and the thing before him was not Nick. Those icy eyes were like shards of glass; empty and cold like the darkest winter night. "You're not him. What are you?" Lucifer asked, voice firm. He forced his wings tightly against his back, not wanting to show _this thing_ how unnerved he truly felt, yet he was unable to undo his ruffled plumage.

"Little old me?" The thing spoke in a voice like his own yet so different. So flat, and devoid of everything. A shudder went down Lucifer's spine. He needed to get out of here. "I'm just your everyday friendly neighboring cosmic entity!" It added, even going as far as adding a mocking bow.

Lucifer took another step back, wanting to get as far away as he could. The thing caught his movement, icy eyes flashing. "Don't bother running away from me, little angel. I am this place and this place is me. You can't go anywhere I cannot go as well."

Eyebrows furrowing, Lucifer could only stare at his copycat. _This thing is insane_. "Where am I?"

"Oh, this place?" The thing spread out its arms as if to indicate the entire void there were in. "This is Empty. It's where you all go to when you die. All you angels end up here, and demons too." It smiled as it shot Lucifer a sideways glance. It was the most horrible smile Lucifer had ever seen. "You all come here to sleep for eternity. I am supposed to be sleeping too, you know? I like my sleep, I _need_ my sleep." It took a step closer. Lucifer forced himself to stay put. "And _you_ are also supposed to be sleeping. Why. Aren't. You. Asleep?!" It hissed out the last few words, gaze hardening.

"No, thank you. I'm not interested in sleeping and would like to leave this place as soon as possible. You can keep your sleep."

The thing pulled its lips with its fingers. Every movement it made and word it spoke, it unsettled something deep within Lucifer in ways he couldn't quite grasp. It was so alien and ancient. "You are just like that other angel," it spoke, its words surprising Lucifer, "the stubborn one in the trench coat."

 _Castiel_?

Of course. Lucifer had killed the Seraphim when he went looking for his newborn son. And if angels indeed went to this place once they died, it made sense that Castiel had been here as well. And he got out. Having a new-found determination, he started to speak. "How about this? You just tell me how to get out of this place and I will leave. Then you can go back to sleep, and we never bother each other again." If Castiel got out, he could as well. He just needed to play this carefully, aware that the entity before him wasn't your everyday angel or pagan. It was old and powerful – more so than anything the Archangel ever encountered before. He was perfectly aware of the thin ice he was threading on, threatening to break apart under his feet and make him tumble down towards the depths.

"Tell me," the thing replied, "if I send you back out there... then what? There's nothing for you out there."

Lucifer stilled. "You don't know me," he defensively spoke.

"That's where you're wrong. I _do_ know you, Lucifer," the angel flinched at his name leaving the being's mouth, "you see, with this Castiel I had to read his memories, but you? Your grace is _screaming_. You are nothing but a bundle of misery and despair. I don't need to read your memories to know how much you've suffered, and how much you're suffering still." It tilted its head. "Why would you want to go back there? You will only suffer more. Just lay down and sleep, give yourself the rest and peace you deserve."

"I can't do that," Lucifer started shaking his head. One thing became clear to him, the entity standing before him couldn't force him to sleep. Or it would have done so already. Lucifer was the one who needed to take the initiative. "I have to go back."

"And for what, exactly?" The Empty questioned him, stepping closer until they stood chest-to-chest. "Your own father deserted you. Your elder brother wanted you dead and called you a monster. Your own son despises you. And your younger brother, the one you were closest with once, hates you know. What was it that he called you again?" It tilted its head. "'Like the first cells of cancer', was it? Cancer that would spread like a disease until it was cut out."

"Shut up," Lucifer said, struggling to keep it together. He refused to break down before _this thing_.

"You are nothing but a being who was destroyed by the mark his own Father gave him and who was cast out of the only home he ever knew," the entity continued. "You were someone who just wanted to be accepted, someone who just wanted a chance like everyone. And so you tried. Again, and again, but no matter how hard you struggled, you always failed in the end. And for all your failed efforts, what did you get in return? Nothing but pain and misery, that is."

" _SHUT UP_!!"

The Empty merely smiled that horrible smile again. "You cannot deny the truth. To everyone out there, you are a monster who should just stay dead. You are nobody to them."

"Not everyone," Lucifer whispered, looking down momentarily before looking up again. "Nick is still out there, and he needs me."

"And how do you think that story will end?" The Empty replied. "He will only end up abandoning you. Just like everyone else."

"No," Lucifer started shaking his head, "no, he won't."

"Yes," the thing continued, "he will. One day, he will leave too. And then you're truly alone. So you might as well save yourself the pain and go to sleep." Its voice was calm, soothing even, and Lucifer nearly complied with what it told him to do. But before he could relax and lay down, the image of Nick flashed past his eyelids once again and he tensed up.

"No," he said again, stubbornly staring the entity down in full on deviance, "I won't do that. He's in pain, he needs me, so I will return to him."

Something flashed behind the Empty's eyes and its jaw gritted together. "Stubborn, stubborn little angel," it spoke to him, taking a step closer and placing both hands against both sides of Lucifer's temple. The angel's eyes had widened slightly for he had been unable to move away, his legs glued to the void they were standing on, which seemed to have reached out to him and wrapped its invisible tendrils around his legs to keep him in place. "Perhaps I should just show you. Then you might maybe make a sensible decision."

And then there was pain.

Unable to hold it back, Lucifer screamed it out as he fell to his knees, biting down on his tongue until he tasted blood as images flashed behind his now closed eyelids. All his hurtful memories and every mistake he ever made, the ones he had buried deep within his own mind, behind a concrete wall of solid ice, resurfaced.

 _Betrayal when Michael called him a monster and turned against him. Anger towards his own father for giving him the mark which ended in his own corruption and damnation. The pain and terror during his fall. The endless loneliness within the Cage, the insanity that grew within his own mind_.

As he tried to twist away from his lookalike, the hold around his head tightened, the fingers digging into his skull and making his head throb.

 _Loneliness was all he knew within the cage. Loneliness and insanity. And then he was free... just so he could be killed. His true vessel, the one who was supposed to understand him turned against him and sealed him away once again_.

" _NO_!!" Lucifer yelled, somehow managing to forcefully rip himself away from the being who coldly glared at him. "Listen to me, whatever you are, I am _not_ going to stay here in this place. You can probe my mind and hurt me however you want, but I will _not_ agree to just lay down and go to sleep when Nick is still out there," he hissed between clenched teeth.

"I can force you to go to sleep," The Empty threatened him, taking a step closer.

Lucifer forced himself to stand his ground. "If you could, you would have done so already," he replied.

"Smart, smart, smart little angel," it said, circling him slowly.

Lucifer did not move, but carefully followed the entity's movements with his eyes. "Release me," he nearly hissed. "No matter how long we do this dance, the end result will never change. Probe and harm me for however long you wish, but I will never go to sleep or give in. I _will_ find a way back to Nick... or _you_ will be stuck with _me_ for all of eternity."

"Even when misery will be the only thing you'll find there?" The Empty questioned him in a silky voice, eyes calculating. "Even when everyone ends up abandoning you and you'll be truly alone?"

Now it was his turn to smile a horrible smile. "I guess that's just a risk I have to take."

"Just remember this, little angel," the being spoke in a low voice after having been silent for a long time, "live your life and try to be happy for however long you please, but remember that one day I will come to you and take you back. For everything that entered this place, and all angels and demons in existence, belong to me. Including you."

Then invisible tendrils picked Lucifer up, who was too startled to do anything. Then he got yeeted out of the nothingness he had been trapped in.

~~

Light was the first thing that greeted him, a light that came from the stars. Looking down, Lucifer realized that he was in space, hovering above Earth and amongst the stars in his true form. Glowing wings spread wide, the Archangel looked down upon the world below him. He did not even need to search, he just _knew_ where he had to find Nick.

 _His_ human. Perhaps the only one who he had ever grown to love. Believing himself to be unable to change for the longest time it was Nick who proved him wrong. Who proved the world wrong.

He could feel the tug in their bond as his heart yearned to be reunited once again. A small noise slipping out of his throat, the Archangel dived down in his radiant true form, wings flapping faster and faster with each second that passed.

 _Nick_! Lucifer cried out when he found him. Nick appeared to be in a home, standing over the body of a cop with a bloodied hammer in his hold.

The man's eyes widened when the angel's light rained down on him. "Lucifer?" Nick choked out, eyes tearing up, yet there was a doubtful expression on the face Lucifer had memorized by heart. As if it might be a dream and he could wake up every moment just to discover it wasn't real at all. "Is that you?"

 _Hello again, my dear Nick_ , Lucifer spoke to him. He had originally wanted to play it cool, but when being faced by Nick and looking at those watery eyes he just couldn't help himself. So Lucifer followed his heart, and went at the human, wrapping him up in his radiant grace and holding him tightly.

When the angel's light engulfed him, Nick started to cry as he leaned further into the light. "It is you," the human cried out, "you came back."

 _I once told you, didn't I_? Lucifer replied. _I will always come home to you_.

"I thought you were gone forever."

In a flash, Lucifer was reminded of the nothingness and the entity who called it its home. And the last words it spoke before releasing the Archangel. He knew there was always a price to pay with entities like that. What this price exactly was, he wasn't sure. He pushed it back, focusing on the human in his hold now. He would find a way to deal with that later. Lucifer wasn't planning on dying again. _So did I_ , he replied to Nick. _I was dead, but it was you who bought me back_.

Nick looked up at him in awe. "How?" Was all he seemed to be able to say.

 _I'm not sure_ , Lucifer truthfully replied, he didn't like not being able to provide Nick with an answer. _But I could hear you call out to me and so I returned_. _I am sorry that you had to be alone_.

"Don't apologize," the human spoke in a whisper, "you are here now and that is what matters." Nick pulled back from him and smiled. "Thank you for coming back. I love you, Lucifer."

Startled, the angel could only look at him. They had never spoken those words aloud before. Three seemingly simple words, yet very powerful. Lucifer wanted to say those words back to him but he found the words stuck in his throat. Could he really do this? Admit aloud that he had fallen for a human? Looking at Nick, all his doubts flew out of the window. He always was an exception. _I love you._

"Come home," Nick told him, a radiant smile on his face. Lucifer didn't let it be said twice and returned to his vessel in a burst of light.


	6. Two equally broken pieces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter btw. Just something short and sweet to wrap this up somewhat. Final opinions are much appreciated and thank you for reading this lil story of mine ^^

Once there was pain. He saw nothing but pain and emptiness and endless sorrow ahead of him. And then there was light, washing it all away like the waves of the ocean and pressing against the aching pieces of his soul until he didn't feel as lost anymore.

Lucifer came back to him. Nick still wasn't entirely sure how, _but He came back_.

Neither of them was completely in control of their body at the moment. Instead, it pulsed around between them. One moment it was Nick, and then it was Lucifer. Nick's soul was wrapped up in Lucifer's grace and he ignored everything around them. He ignored his bloodied hammer and the mutilated corpse at his feet, and that they should probably leave now until the cops came. But Nick didn't care. He didn't care as long as Lucifer was with them and could fly them away at a heart's notice, or blow up whoever stood in their way.

"We should probably get going now," Lucifer spoke during the moments He was in control, flexing their fingers and curiously looking down at the corpse. "You've sure been busy." There was no judgement or disgust in his voice, merely a mild curiosity.

 _I was chasing after my family's murderer. And I found him, or at least the meat suit the demon wore as he smashed in their skulls. And then I killed him in the same way his hands killed them_. Nick felt oddly satisfied at saying it, at merely being able to share secrets with Lucifer once again. Whispers between just the two of them. There was a flash of curiosity from Lucifer and then Nick spoke the demon's name, Lucifer not needing to ask the question. _Abraxas_.

" _Abraxas_?!" Lucifer snarled, eyes flashing as a whirlwind of emotions blew from his wildly vibrating grace. Anger and guilt and betrayal all blended together into one confusing mess. "That _fool_ is the one who killed your family?! I _told_ him he didn't need to do _anything_ to prepare you to become my vessel, but he seems to have betrayed me either way."

Nick tried to grasp what he was hearing and order his thoughts. Abraxas worked for Lucifer - which made sense - and then betrayed his King, which was something Nick wouldn't be able to understand. Who would even think about betraying this beautiful being?

"I'm flattered by where your thoughts are going, Nick," Lucifer spoke, "but it appears we have a traitor to catch and punish."

 _You will help me_? Nick's heart blossomed with hope. Something he hadn't felt in a long time, not since Lucifer had been forcefully ripped away from him.

The Archangel's grace strokes against him in a gentle and loving gesture. "You don't even need to ask. It's the two of us against the rest of the world. We've always only had each other."

 _Who knew you could be such a sap_? Nick mused while Lucifer's wings carried them away.

Lucifer didn't answer him but Nick saw the answer in his mind, he saw it in the icy heart that had melted for him alone and allowed him in, and it showed him a being who was just as broken as he was. Betrayed and abandoned by the world. Their broken pieces fit together, melting into one and taking away their darkness.

Now it was time to bring justice for Nick's family. And then, maybe, revenge upon those who wronged them. Or just sit back and let them destroy each other. A grin split on their shared face as the wind blew through their hair and wings, the world and freedom stretching out before them.


End file.
